Silent Healing
by Phoenixfyretail
Summary: Thomas finds a mute girl, and for some unknown reason, takes her in. The girl reveals that more is hidden than what should be. Will they both survive? Thomas x OC (Undergoing major Revision!)
1. Chapter 1

Hey y'all! Just to let you know, I had a delightful time with this. It is slightly AU, and takes place before Turn Coat. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

 _Screams were all that were heard as his dream self floated throughout the dismal building, the moldy and dirty concrete floors, walls, and ceilings giving off a musty and damp smell. The only lights in the place were well placed torches in iron brackets, casting a feeble glow throughout the narrow halls and small rooms. Each room was barred shut with iron bars over the wooden door, a small window in the upper part of the door, at eye level. There was a total of 8 rooms per floor, 16 different floors, and 23 different hallways on each floor. The building I was in, was underwater, and a total maze._

 _On the very bottom floor, it was different, it was one cavernous space, dimly lit with several torches, and 13 black hooded figures were standing, all chanting in a low monotone of some unknown language. A magic circle was in front of them, a pentacle outlined within it, the metal lining it in the concrete floor a deep, matte black. I had no idea what exactly the substance was, but it was evil, and very powerful._

 _The figure within the barriers around the circle was a divine creature only heard of in legends. What had once been glowing scales of silver over powerful muscles and a long, lean frame, was a mess. The scales were a dull, rusting silver, the once proud body weak and limp, her head the very portrayal of defeat. The powerful mane that coursed along her back, down to the tip of the long tail, had once been a shining mane of dark silver, was now limp and tangled. She was dying from the evil in the room, and of the curses and enchantments forced upon her, drawing her power from her. Killing her, a legendary god like creature, and my dream self could do nothing but watch._

 _But as I watched, the dragon's head lifted, some of the darkest, and most pure blue eyes I have ever seen making contact with mine. A shiver coursed down my spine as I felt the power in that gaze. But the curse took place first. There was a flash of dark red light, and the most horrid, unearthly scream of pain echoed throughout the room, a sound I was sure could be heard for miles. The chanting had risen to a feverish pitch, the 13 dark hooded figures raising their arms in unison as they cast the curse over the god like creature. But what they hadn't expected was the backwash of amazing power cascading over all of them, crashing every single one of them into the walls with the audible crunching of bones._

 _The dragon was gone, leaving nothing but a shimmering silver mist, the residual dark energy of the curse, dark metal in the floor, and a naked girl laying on the floor..._

I woke.

* * *

I was walking to my car after another day at work, my coat wrapped around me tightly against the wind. My black car was the last one in the small lot behind my hair salon, and it was surrounded by trees and bushes, which were shaking in the chill wind. The image of the dragon's eyes flashed across my mind again, and I shook my head. The dream had been haunting me ever since I woke up so abruptly a few days ago, and for some reason, I didn't quite believe it to be a dream.

I was hunting for my car keys in my jeans pocket when the wind gust increased with sudden gusto, and a man's scream of pain echoed throughout the trees. My hand automatically went for the desert eagle tucked in the back of my jeans, my stance ready to bolt if necessary. There was another yell, a few very loud thumps and crashes, and silence. Hesitantly, I unlocked my car and just as the horn did the little "Beep boop," a girl came flying out of the bushes, looking as if she had been mauled by a bear and then some. She managed to flip herself around in the air, landing on her hands on the hood of my car, swiveling herself around and landing on her feet.

I stared as she landed not five feet from me, but she didn't even look my way, or make a sound. The girl didn't seem to register that I was there for several seconds, as she was tense, and looking for someone to come out of the trees after her. Her small frame was covered with wounds of various sizes, the worst being a huge gash across her upper back that would need medical attention. After a few minutes, when no one came out of the woods, she turned her head, glancing at me out of the corner of a very blue eye.

Slowly, I held my hands out to her in the traditional gesture of trust, showing that I was friendly. I was more than disturbed by her sudden appearance, but more so by the sense that I've seen her somewhere before. She turned slightly in my direction, but backed up, putting more distance between us. I furrowed my brows in confusion, but didn't move toward her, I just waited for her to make the next move. I have definitely seen her before, but I realized I didn't have time to think this over now. She was clearly in danger, and judging by the panicked look in her eyes, she knew that more of the people who had been chasing her were coming soon. There wasn't much time.

Considering that it was late fall, and it going to snow soon, I knew she hadn't just been out walking in the woods and she had been attacked. This girl was clearly running from someone, or something. Or both. I frowned at the thought, and took another look at her. The black robe she was wearing was ill fitted, and hastily cut off at the thigh, allowing her to be able to freely move and fight if need be. Her breathing was labored, chest heaving with the effort, and I could smell the fear and terror radiating from her. I knew I had never seen her before, but she was still familiar. Who was she? Maybe she had escaped from kidnappers or would be kidnappers? Or a murderer? I wouldn't dismiss that one from my thoughts.

I didn't know what it was that drew me to this girl, but something about her just screamed at me to help her. It was like looking at Harry again just after he had lost Susan. She seemed so lost, broken, and almost completely destroyed, that I knew I couldn't just leave her there. I bowed my head, and then slowly looked up at her, not quite meeting her eyes. She was looking over at me with out of the corner of her eye, hair catching in the wind.

She was shaking with the cold, and still tense, but hadn't moved further away from me. Her legs were trembling, and she seemed almost on the verge of collapse, but she held herself strong and tall. I finally spoke to her, keeping my voice open and friendly, and carefully keeping my hunger in check.

"I'm not going to hurt you. Will you let me help you?"

She reared her head back a bit at hearing me speak, but then, her eyes took on a guarded expression, but one of careful thought as well. Her unkempt, but long, black hair swung in the wind. Then, she nodded once, looking up, and carefully observed her surroundings. She swayed on her feet again, but didn't move any closer to me. Slowly reaching up, I removed my coat and my hoodie, passing her the thick grey fabric, and slipping my coat back on. The temperature seemed to have dropped another couple degrees in the few minutes that we had been standing there.

She slowly took it from me, with a slight nod of thanks. As she swung it around her shoulders, I spoke, knowing that I needed to get moving, but I couldn't leave her here.

"I'll take you home with me. You'll be safe there." I made sure to sound friendly, but I couldn't keep the concern out of my voice.

We heard movement in the woods, we both turned toward the sound, but still, she hesitated. She didn't know if she could trust me yet, but she had no real choice. She realized her chances of dying would be less with me though, as she moved toward me, eyes guarded, terrified, and exhausted all at the same time.

I felt her eyes follow my movement as I got into my car and started it. She crossed around the front of the vehicle, and slipped into the passenger seat beside me, silent as a wraith. I flicked the heaters on the highest setting, knowing that the leather seats got godawful cold during the winter when the heaters weren't on. I backed out of the parking lot and headed home, my mind reeling with the events of the day. The demon within me roiled in hunger at the idea of feeding, and I forced it back with a push of determined energy. I was mindful to keep my hunger at bay as I drove home, and she eyed me curiously the whole way, as if trying to figure out my plan behind allowing her safety with me.

Truth be told, I didn't know exactly why I had all of a sudden felt the burning need to keep her near me and safe from whomever had hurt her. But empty night, she was wounded badly. My hoodie had several spreading crimson stains on it, and I was pretty sure she had several broken ribs, judging from the way she was gingerly holding herself straight up and away from the backrest.

The rest of the way home was quiet, the gentle humming of the heaters and the car's engine as I drove down the highways the only sounds besides my thoughts and our gentle breathing. I was trying to remember what exactly I had to provide for another human being in my apartment, and where I had stashed the huge medical kit Harry had forced on me. I turned off the road, and into the parking lot of my apartment building, and I parked the car close to the front doors.

I turned to her, and she looked at me, terror, shock, pain, and something I didn't quite recognize glimmering in her eyes. I nodded, and exited the car, coming around to open her door for her. She exited the car slowly, and paused with a wince of pain. I shut the door, and waited for her to get her bearings, guessing that trying to rush her would only make things worse. She looked around, completely, her blue eyes taking in all the details she could; I could see her making notes in her mind. In a way, she slightly reminded me of Harry. He too always noted down his surroundings at all times, as he got into too many bad situations to not to.

I moved forward, my black hair shaking free from its ponytail in the powerful wind, and she followed hesitantly at my gesture and smile for her to come along. Together, we made our way into the front lobby of the building, where, thankfully, it was empty. I let her get her bearings, and she gratefully took the chance, taking in the elegant stone flooring, the large, empty security desk, the rows of mailboxes behind the desk, and the footman at the elevator doors. She looked to him when she was ready to move on. The footman, his name tag read 'Earl', waved him in, pressing the elevator button, and she stood near him.

"A friend of yours Thomas?" asked Earl as they waited for the elevator to come down. I felt the girl's terror rise at the question, but to my surprise, I didn't quite know how to answer. I just nodded, and just then, the elevator dinged and the doors swooped open. I entered first, and she slowly followed, her bare feet padding over the hard stone floor. I noticed that she tended to walk on her toes as I absently pressed the button for my floor. I was trying to remember where the medical kit was.

We reached my apartment without any incident, and I could feel her beginning to calm down, just slightly. I unlocked my door, and I entered first, checking to make sure that Harry hadn't broken in again or something. She followed after a moment, and looked around curiously as I took off my boots. She was still taking in the stylish place that I lived in as I led her into my large bathroom, and she looked about, finally taking a tentative seat on my bathtub ledge. I smiled at her, reassured that she trusted me that tiniest bit necessary to sit down in my presence.

"Stay here. I'm going to go get my medical kit so I can tend to your wounds, all right?" I said, worry starting to etch into my voice as I saw the amount of blood she was losing. My sweatshirt was going to be unsalvageable, and I knew that a few of the wounds she had taken were going to scar quite nicely. She had several smaller wounds on her legs, and a couple on her arms and hands, from what I could see and remember, but what worried me was the broken ribs, and the wound across her shoulders.

She looked up at me, and nodded once, head hanging down tiredly. Her hands tightened on my hoodie. She had refused to let go of it since I had given it to her. Her eyes watched as I left the bathroom, and then flicked over to the mess of hair products, brushes, and my personal hygiene supplies scattered over the bathroom vanity. The dark stone floors were still clean, the stone of the vanity matched, the large circular mirror hanging above the sink. I walked down the hallway, and finally remembered that Harry and I had stashed the huge medical kit in my linen closet. I lugged the huge thing out, and made it back down the hallway, kicking the closet door closed behind me.

Harry. Maybe it was a good thing that he had made me keep the damn thing. I re-entered the bathroom, and found that she had removed the sweatshirt, and had her legs now hanging in the tub, droplets of her blood staining the white surface. I opened the medical kit, locating the things I would need with swift efficiency, coming to kneel beside her.

"I'm going to need to touch, okay?" I said, my hands hovering by her shoulder, where a large gash was torn along her bicep. She looked down at me, and I didn't move. This was probably about a thousand times scarier for her than it normally would, given the amount of mental turmoil I guessed she was going through. I stayed still, kneeling down on the tiled floor. I had a gauze pad and a roll of bandages balanced on my knee, and held a needle and thread along with anesthetic.

I waited for her to give permission to tend her wounds, and, after a few moments, she gave it. The girl moved slightly closer to me, angling herself so I could easily tend the wound on her shoulder. I sterilized my needle and thread, cleaned the wound, pausing when I saw her wince, and applied the local anesthetic. She sighed as the pain faded away, and I nodded as stitched it closed with the same efficiency I had when cutting hair. I sighed as I wrapped the wound with the bandages. One down, who knows how many more to go.

It turned out to be eight wounds I had to stitch. The others were just cleaned, and wrapped occasionally. She let me tend them all, never making a sound of complaint even once, which struck me as odd. Though, when it came to the one across her back, I had to have her remove her shirt, which was a problem for her, as she refused. After some thinking,I took the scissors and just cut the fabric away. She didn't protest and sighed in relief when she realized that I could tend the wound and not have to remove her clothes. Good, I kept her as comfortable as she could be.

After delicately removing several large shards of glass from the deepest parts of the open wound, I cleaned out the wound using water from the bathtub faucet and then applied the anesthetic, waiting to stitch the wound closed. Her should twitched when I lowered my hands, her head turning to look at me. Her bright blue eyes had softened the slightest bit with gratitude, but there was still the amount of fear there that no one should have to deal with.

But the scars. Empty night, for a girl so young, she had so many scars. At least a dozen of them trailed along her back, and many more were on her arms. I felt the hunger swirl in me, and I repressed it, which took focused effort. I stared at the scars again, and the new wounds, the last one that I was bandaging, and I felt a foreign bout of fierce protection sweep over me, which I tried to shove away, but couldn't.

I replaced the medical supplies in the kit, and moved the huge thing into the corner, wedged by the sink and wall. She watched, eyes still radiating terror and pain, but stood when I asked her to, gingerly straightening up. I came forward in a kneel again, and she froze.

"You have a dislocated rib. Let me just see." She didn't move, but let me come close again, and I ran my palms down her ribs until I found the one I was looking for. On her left side, there was a indentation, clearly indicating a dislocated left rib. Applying gentle pressure, I eased the bone back into place with an audible click, and she winced in pain. I froze after I was done, feeling the steady rise of her ribs underneath my palms. She heaved a hefty sigh of relief, and I backed away, and rose to a slow stand.

She had pulled the hoodie around herself again, but she nodded her gratitude to me. I nodded back, and beckoned her to follow me. She stepped out of the bathroom, moving to follow me, and I noticed that she was following me more closely than she had before, about six feet behind me instead of ten.

I led her to my room, where she refused to enter, and I could understand as to why. Slowly, so she could see I wasn't going to hurt her, I reached into my clothes drawers and found a long sleeve black shirt, and a pair of pajama pants, which I set on top of my dresser. I watched her, and she reached a decision.

She entered slowly, and looked around, taking in the tangle of blankets and sheets on my bed, the baskets of dirty laundry, and baskets of folded, clean laundry. I smiled at her, while fetching another hoodie for her. She seemed to like the thick one she had, so I selected another one very similar to it, except that it was a deep jewel blue. I looked back out of the corner of my eye, and saw that she was looking out the window, across from the door, at the view of the lake. She gazed at it for a second, and moved back, turning to face me.

I let her stare at me, knowing that she was still in shock and terrified. I moved toward her, offering her the clothing. She accepted them with slightly shaking hands, and nodded her thanks with just the ghost of a smile on her lips. I left her to change, and waited just outside the door, leaning against the wall. I heard the rustling of fabric and a zipper being zipped up, and then she emerged, and I couldn't resist the urge to smile at her slim form in my too big clothes. It was so darn cute. She stared at me, and hunched her shoulders, folding her arms around herself, hand holding the dirty clothes. I held out a hand for them, and she gave them to me.

"Get a look around. Get comfortable. Help yourself. You are more than welcome to stay here with me." I returned her confused stare with a smile, but restrained my roiling hunger.

I led her to the kitchen, where she stood in the middle of the room and took in her surroundings. The living room was state of the art, all brown and gold furniture with a huge flat screen TV. There were floor to ceiling windows across one wall, and the other had a desk against it. I watched as she inspected the kitchen, black stove, granite counters with an island in the middle, large sink. She padded across the apartment, across the plush rug in the short hallway where she inspected my guest room (never been used.), my pantry, and a small room that had nothing in it. I could feel the confusion radiating off of her, wondering why on earth I had nothing in there. She came back to me, and watched as I hunted through my fridge, looking for something to feed her.

She came over to the sink, and I watched as, after hunting for it, she selected a clean glass from my cabinet, and poured herself a glass of water from the tap on the fridge. She drank it down, and refilled it, drinking that one more slowly. She moved away from me, and sat down gingerly on one of my bar stools at the island. I began to heat up some stew that Harry had brought over one night, and I remembered that it had been pretty good. She watched, and I felt her stare against my back.

I turned, and wondered how I could communicate with this girl. I leaned against the counter, absently stirring the stew for her. It smelled good, and had lots of thick broth with the beef and vegetables, complete with cubes of potato. She got up, and got another glass of water. I ran a hand through my hair, and she watched the movement, eyeing me. She looked away after a few moments. It clicked in my head then, and I rummaged through my junk drawer for a pen and a notepad. She watched, while drinking some more water, as I passed it to her seat at the counter. I stirred the stew, deemed it hot, and poured it into a bowl, sliding it and a spoon to her. And sat down and nodded again, before beginning to eat.

"The notepad is for you. Will you write to communicate to me?" I crossed my fingers behind my back for luck. She looked at me, ate a bite of stew, and took up the pen. She wrote one word.

'Yes.'

I sighed in relief, and watched as she wrote down something else, her neat, looping handwriting forming a question.

'Who are you?'

"My name is Thomas Raith. I'm a hairdresser." I replied. And a white court vampire, but you don't need to know that quite yet.

"Who are you?" I asked, and she furrowed her eyebrows slightly, but wrote something down. I read the note.

'I don't know anymore. I lost my identity when they kidnapped me.'

I didn't know what to say to that. What DOES one say to that? She finished her stew, and pushed the bowl away. I took it, absently setting it in the sink with all the other dirty dishes. I heard her scribble down another note, with the emotions of guarded confusion and genuine curiosity coming from her. I resisted the hunger and leaned back toward her, reading the note.

'Why did you save me?'

I tucked my hair behind my ear, and she watched the movement. "I saved you because you reminded me of myself and someone I know, who is close to me. You needed someone, and I wanted to help you. I hope I haven't hurt you. And I don't want you to be afraid of me. I want to be your friend." I surprised myself, saying those words. They were true, every single word, and I still wondered why I felt this way toward her.

I saw it. The barest ghost of a smile brushed her lips, and she wrote something down. I studied her face as she wrote. She was young, maybe her mid-twenties, and had the natural beauty every girl aimed for. Long, dark lashes framed her huge blue eyes, a cute nose, full lips, and pale skin. Her hair was long, black, and utterly untamed. And shaggy. She turned the note to me. I read it.

'You haven't hurt me Thomas. Thank you, again. And maybe, over time, we could become friends. I wouldn't know. Many things have happened. I don't know quite what it means to have a friend.'

So a friend betrayed her. Was that it? I wasn't going to ask, not yet. It was too early. She needed to calm down, gain her bearings a bit, let her wounds, both mental and physical, heal. But for now, she could stay here. I quite liked the idea of protecting her. "What can I call you?"

She blinked. And wrote down a name, after getting a new post it note.

'Emrys.'

I smiled. Emrys. It suited her.

"Emrys. Would you stay here? You're more than welcome to live here with me. If you wish." I had to seriously work to contain the hope that I felt at the question.

'Thomas... What if they come for you?' Her eyes were worried now, along with the still shell shocked look she bore.

"Then I will take care of them." Something in my voice must have convinced her that I knew what I was talking about.

'I'll stay. Thank you.'


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke with a start, sitting up frantically, listening for something. Nothing happened. I didn't know what had woken me up, but it wasn't natural. Not good. I got up, slipped a shirt on, and padded down the hallway, looking around for anything that would give a hint as to what it was that had woken me up.

As I approached the living room, I could feel what had woken me up. The sheer mass of terror swelling about her panting form was overpowering, almost taking on a physical form. You could see the demons of her mind that were haunting her. I cautiously made my way to her, kneeling beside her panicking form. She was sitting up, awake, on the couch; but was hyperventilating, eyes wide and glassed over in a terror I couldn't see. She looked over to me, eyes beginning to calm a fraction, and I nodded to her. She shifted a bit, pulling the blankets further up her legs, and in doing so, I saw the top of the tattoo I had noticed earlier.

The collar on my too big shirt had slipped down her shoulder, revealing the back of her shoulder blade as well. She had a large tattoo there, and it looked to be the top of a folded up, black feathered, wing. Strange.

"Emrys?" She looked up at me, eyes still glassy, but was paler than usual, almost white with fear, and was sweating lightly. I gulped. She was gorgeous, and my hunger was growing. I sat down beside her on the couch, and she shifted her legs to make more room.

"Do you want to talk?" I asked, and she shook her head frantically, eyes becoming more glassy still. I nodded, and murmured, "All right."

She reached for her post-it pad and pen, but her hands were shaking so bad it was hard for her to hold the pen at first. It took her a few steady breaths before she wrote down a note, holding it up for me to read.

'I'm sorry I woke you up. You can go back to sleep now. I'll be okay.'

I frowned, worried. She was still radiating too much fear for me to feel comfortable leaving her alone. I leaned back into the couch, and after a moment, so did she. The dim light streaming in through the window was enough to cast a dim glow around her pale face and the shine of her hair. She was still shaking a bit, but was gradually calming down. To my surprise, I felt no desire to move away from her. We sat there in silence for another few minutes, then I deemed myself officially unable to sleep. I glanced over at the clock, it read 8:13 a.m., so, with a hefty sigh, I got up and began the makings of a pot of coffee. I heard her get up after a few seconds, heard her footsteps pad down to the bathroom. She came back about five minutes later, and I turned her way while the coffee was brewing. She pulled her notepad out of her pocket, and tore off another page, before scribbling down her note. Her hands were steady, and her posture strong and stable.

'I think my back is bleeding again.'

I sighed, and poured myself a cup of coffee, and on second thought, I turned to her.

"Do you like coffee?" She nodded hesitantly. I poured her a cup, and pushed it across the counter to her. She took it, winced at the pain of moving her arm, but wrapped her cold hands around the mug gratefully. I knocked on the counter to get her attention, and waved for her to follow me. She walked after me quietly, sipping at her coffee. I was getting new bandages and medical supplies out of the kit when she hesitantly entered the bathroom and sat on the tub edge like before. I could feel the fear pouring off of her slim form. Poor girl.

She removed her sweatshirt, and after a visible deep breath, flicked her shirt off, turning her back to me. My jaw dropped in surprise, but I made no immediate move. I just stared in shock. I had obviously seen a woman's back before, but never quite like this. Her entire right side was covered with a tattoo, a folded, black feathered wing, like I suspected. What was left of her back was scars and open wounds. She was also beautifully built, slim muscles were lightly defined along her spine and her waist was slim and toned. You could see the faint outlines of her bust and her hips flared pleasantly. I furrowed my brows in sudden anger, as a bout of fierce protection again swept over me. What was it about this girl that so made me feel the need to protect her? She could obviously defend herself, so what was it?

I shook my head, deciding to think on it later, and removed the bandages that covered her upper back. Her stitches had stretched a bit, and she was bleeding, but it wasn't terrible. She stiffened at the touch, and I froze, letting her adjust, my fingertips just brushing her skin. She relaxed the slightest bit after another few seconds, and I finished tending her shoulder with quick efficiency. She took another sip of her coffee while I did so, and I realized then that she wasn't wearing a bra of any kind. My hunger raged up, letting out several growls of want, and she turned her head at my slight grunt of surprise. I fought to restrain it with all the effort I had, and won, but just barely. She stared in something akin to amusement, and then to my surprise, she smiled a slightest bit, then abruptly turned away. She pulled her clothes back on, keeping her back to me.

Empty night, I was confused. Why on earth hadn't she moved away when she saw the change in my eyes? The glowing paleness of my skin? She met my eyes, and held up a note.

'Thank you.'

I nodded, deciding to leave it for later, knowing that we would talk more at some point. I should probably focus on bigger issues, like something along the lines of what was I going to do about her and work? I couldn't just leave her here. We walked down the hallway back to kitchen, and she poured herself another cup of coffee, after pondering it for a while. I watched her, smiling slightly. She was cute when she focused on something simple like that. Her eyes cleared of fear and her brows furrowed in concentration the slightest bit. Then they would clear for a second, just a brief one, and it would disappear. And she would become guarded and afraid again, but it made me smile to know that she was starting to heal, no matter how slow.

"Emrys?"

She looked up, sitting down with her coffee. I didn't have to work today, so that would give her time to get to trust me a bit more. I pondered over what we could do together. I haven't actually just laid around and hung out with a friend, aside from being with Harry, and even just laying around his apartment without knowing that there was imminent danger coming was a rarity. My gaze shifted to my TV and movie collection, complete with the couch and blankets nearby. A smile brushed my lips.

"Let's watch a movie."

She glanced up at me, and looked over at the living room. After a moment of though, she nodded, and rose from her chair, moving to the couch. I followed, and went to the DVD rack underneath my TV stand. She looked out the window, and sipped her coffee for a minute, and then she came over and helped me find a movie. She crouched down, leaving a gap between us, but was still close enough to be able to see the movies. I had a large variety, ranging from horror to anime. To my surprise, after a moment's deliberation, she pulled out my entire season collection of House M.D., a medical drama featuring everyone's favorite grumpy doctor.

"Want to watch that one? It's pretty good." She nodded, and handed me the first season. I took it, and slipped the first disc into the DVD player. I flopped onto the couch next to her as the opening sequence rolled across the screen, and together we sat back and watched the first episode.

Halfway through, I heard a snort from next to me, and to my utter surprise, she was covering her mouth with her hand, repressing her laughter. Her blue eyes were wide, and bright, but she managed to not make much of a sound, and we finished the first episode. She stole the blanket that I was sitting on with a gentle kick to my hip and pull on the fabric, and I mock-pouted at her, but let her steal it.

And that's what we did for the day. We paused around the tenth episode, and lazily scrounged around for some breakfast. She managed to get some eggs and toast cooked, frowning at my mess of dishes in the sink, but never lost her blanket cape around her shoulders. We ate together, sitting on top of the counter, and then made some hot cocoa.

We kept watching for a few more episodes, when she finally cracked. Her bubbling laughter filled the air, and for the first time since I had met her, she actually smiled. Her laugh was deep, and it had a unique, but beautiful sound to it. I was laughing too, and she glanced over at me. Emrys smiled again, but it was a ghost of the one I had just seen. She was beautiful when she smiled, and I felt the abrupt desire to kiss her. I could feel my demon screaming at me to feed, but I fought it again, and I kept it in check. No. Empty night, I refused to feed on her, I just wanted her to heal. She was already broken and destroyed enough. No.

She slipped a note to me. I really needed to get her one of those handy dry erase boards.

'Thank you.'

"You're welcome." I gave her a genuine smile.

We finished the first season of House. When the last credits rolled around, she rose, and stretched, and her stomach rumbled. I laughed at her surprised eyes, but she froze, eyes panicking. I stilled my laughter. Why? Did she think I was going to torture her for being hungry? She calmed slightly, at seeing my confusion. I nodded at her to make sure she was okay.

"I'm hungry." She nodded in agreement, tentatively, appreciating me not asking about her initial reaction. After finding nothing to eat in the fridge other than beer or eggs, I called in for Chinese food. She hovered by the window with a cup of water while I ordered in takeout for the two of us. When the delivery guy showed up 20 minutes later, she disappeared into my bedroom while I paid the man and grabbed the bag of food. We ate in companionable silence after she reappeared.

Later that evening, I eyed her hair. She stared back at me, her glassy eyes still afraid, but she met my glaze evenly.

"Let's get you cleaned up." I wondered how long I would have to wait before she would let me fix her hair for her.

'Thank you.' She gave me a slight smile along with her note.

I showed her where the towels were kept, gave her a spare comb, a toothbrush, and showed her where the toothpaste was. While she was clearing out a shelf in the bathroom vanity to use as her own, I ran to my room, and after some hunting and many mental notes to start cleaning up more and get her some of her own clothes, I gave her another change of my clothes. She gratefully took them, and locked herself in the bathroom. Her wounds had closed enough to allow a brief shower or bath now, and it would help her in the healing process to get washed up.

30 minutes later, she exited the bathroom, her clothes changed, hair dripping, and just generally cleaner. I liked it. Except for the hair. That could use some work.

Emrys sat down quietly on the couch, and began to comb out her hair. I watched for a while, her fingers were delicate, and she deftly undid the many knots as she encountered them. It was interesting to watch her fingers comb through the various tangles in the dark strands. Then my phone rang, startling the both of us.

"Hello?" I answered, watching her. She looked up at me, then went back to her task. Her shoulders remained tense, but she didn't run off like she had when I called in for chinese food. Interesting.

"Thomas? Hey, I need your take on something. Can I come see you?" Of course it was Harry. But he was asking to come here. I glanced over at her, and noticed that she had calmed down into a relaxed state again, working the last knots free from her hair. Something in my gut said she would like Harry and eventually come to trust him.

"When Harry?"

"In twenty minutes?"

"Fine." I sounded mock-exasperated. "Oh and Harry? Grab one of those portable dry erase boards for me would you?" I added that in as a second thought.

"What for?" He sounded, reasonably, confused.

"You'll see." He sighed into the phone. He would do it. The line crackled a bit.

He hung up. I clicked my phone shut, and she stared up at me with frightened eyes. Seems she knew someone was coming. Smart girl.

'Who's Harry?' Her note was hesitantly held up.

"Harry Dresden. He's a friend." I raised a brow at her immediate recognition of the name.

'The Harry Dresden? Chicago wizard?' Her eyes were brightening, hoping that she was right. In that moment I could see that she was indeed young. Her fear aged her.

I smiled. Seems my baby brother had gained a reputation. "The very same."

'He's coming here?' Her eyes were regaining her worry and fear.

"Yes. He shouldn't be too long. And he won't hurt you. You can stay out of it, and come out when you want to. Okay?" I made sure to sound reassuring.

She nodded, slowly. I nodded back gravely. I watched as she rose, her damp, combed out hair swishing behind her. The girl replaced the comb back in the bathroom, and jumped as doorbell rang when she started walking back up the hallway.

I went to answer the door, and she disappeared into my bedroom faster than I thought a human could possibly move. Wow.

I answered the door, and Harry smiled, glad to see me. He entered, and toed off his boots, and frowned after freezing with his eyes shut for a brief second. He had sensed her.

"Harry. Don't say anything. I saved her life yesterday and she's still in shock and downright terrified. She doesn't trust anyone yet. She only trusts me enough to not to try escaping. Behave normally. She'll come out if she feels that she can trust you." I was close to his ear, voice lowered in a whisper. He nodded at that, but gave me a bit of a weird look.

He handed me the dry erase board from one of his ridiculous coat's pockets, and the pen that came with it. I set it on the counter for her.

He nodded, and moved into my living room. We began discussing as to who the hell could have been responsible for sacking $30,000 out of a bank from a list of possible suspects he had narrowed it down to, when I heard her exit my bedroom, and her nearly silent footfalls down the hallway. So did Harry, judging by his eyes piquing with sudden interest at the sound. We kept talking normally, and I felt the fear coursing off of her as she slowly came down the hallway.

Harry looked at me, and we studied the list. I brought up Dan Krevetz, the last one on the list, and Harry listened quietly, and slowly an eyebrow raised as he saw something move out of the corner of his eye.

I felt her watching us, but I paid it no mind. I knew she would do that for a while, as she didn't know Harry, and would observe before making a move. I tucked my hair behind my ear, and he replied,

"Thomas, it wasn't him. He doesn't have the ability to do it, and he has an alibi." He kept his voice low and open. Trying to encourage the girl to come out of her hiding place behind the kitchen counter.

"Well damn." I sighed.

"Hell's bells. Who was it then?" He sat back on my armchair on the other side of the glass coffee table from the couch that I was plunked on.

"I have no idea." I heard her slip the dry erase board from the kitchen counter.

We both sat in thought for a while. Who was it that could steal $30,000 dollars from a bank and blow it up, using magic, and not leave a single trace, nor have anyone notice for about 3 hours? More interestingly, how did Harry not notice? Or anyone from the mystical white council? Five minutes passed in this fashion. I heard movement, a breath, and Emrys came into view.

Harry glanced up, and his eyes widened. She froze, her muscles quivering, eyes terrified, but she didn't move away. Harry didn't get up, but slowly extended his hands in a gesture of friendliness, and to show that he was unarmed. She eyed him, taking in the shaggy hair, beginnings of a beard, and the deep brown eyes. She didn't look quite into them, just looked over Harry. But she did move to me, leaping over the side of the couch to land next to me. I smiled, looking down at her. Emrys returned the smile faintly, before leaning forward and shoving her note across the table to Harry while flicking some hair out of her face.

'Let me see the list.'

I raised a brow at her in confusion, but Harry scooted it toward her, looking a bit more than interested. She took it in small hands, and Harry watched in fascination, eyebrows rising.

She studied it for several minutes, and then looked at Harry's drawing of the circle that had been in the ruins. It showed a circle, with a pentagram within a pentagram, but the center of it was blank save for a few sparse lines in a roughly triangular shape. There were also a few random zig zagging lines here and there, but none of it was familiar. Harry had said he'd never seen anything like it. It was incomplete, and we watched in fascination as she flipped the paper over, and drew it again, and Completed it.

It glowed, and rose above the table, a floating tube of blue light. She stared in surprise, as if she wasn't expecting that, and broke the circle.

Harry stared, his jaw hanging open, and looked at her. "How did you...?"

She hesitated, and looked to me. I nodded, and she scooted slightly closer. She retrieved her dry erase board, scrawled down a note, and showed it to Harry.

'Its an ancient form of illusory magic. Something that I helped someone learn to specialize in a long time ago.' I raised a brow. Just how old was she exactly?

Harry nodded, slowly taking it in. "Hell's bells. So who do you think did it? Do you have a guess?" He was grasping at straws here.

She shook her head after a second's hesitation. Harry sighed, but nodded for now. I knew he would dig into it later. She held out a note.

'Are you really a wizard?' Her blue eyes were beyond curious now.

Harry smiled, and held out his hand. She watched, eyes interested, but ready to flee at any given moment. So when a gentle gust of warm air hit her face, the magical equivalent of a hairdryer, her eyes grew very round. Harry let out a hearty chuckle, and she turned and he realized she actually was using it as a hairdryer. I burst out laughing, and she smiled as well, briefly.

Harry stayed for a while afterwards, and while we enjoyed a beer together, Emrys moved about in the kitchen, cleaning up and doing dishes. I watched her out of the corner of my eye. After we had effectively deemed the case insolvable for now, we had all risen and journeyed to the kitchen. I tossed Harry a beer from my fridge, and grabbed one for myself. She had chosen to remain in the kitchen after we went back into the living room, and Harry let out a snort when he saw the death glare she was pinning on my dirty dishes in the first moment of actual humor I had seen her express.

Now she was calm, standing at the sink and rinsing my dishes clean before setting them on the dish rack. Harry was watching too, and he took a swig of beer, before looking up at me.

"How did you find her again?" He asked quietly.

"She landed on my car." I said, just as quietly.

He furrowed his brow. "What was chasing her?"

"I don't know. She won't talk. Something tortured her though."

Harry stilled, brows tightening more at the thought of the innocent girl undergoing torture at the hands of kidnappers. He seemed to think for a while as he drained the last of his beer.

"What do you plan to do when you're at work?" I sighed at this good question, and one that definitely needed to be answered soon.

"I don't know yet. I'll talk with her about it." Harry nodded at this, and we both rose and headed to the kitchen. I watched as he moved up behind her, and he froze when she darted away from him, and hid behind me. I lifted my arm and looked at her, and she looked back up at me, eyes startled and apologetic. She wasn't quite touching me, but I could feel her presence there. She knew that I was a safe hold.

I couldn't believe it. She trusted me enough that she had hidden behind me. I felt my hunger bubble up at this, and I forced it back down. I needed to feed soon. She looked up at Harry, who was standing there with a very wounded expression. She held up a note for him.

'I'm sorry. You startled me.' Her eyes portrayed all the apology needed.

"It's alright. I'm sorry for startling you." His voice held surprise, and he raised a hand in a trusting matter. She nodded, and moved out from behind me, brushing my arm as she did so. She gave no reaction.

Later on, after Harry had left, I settled down for the night, tucking myself under my bed sheets. I had heard her settle down a while ago, and she had fallen asleep after a short while. I smiled softly at the thought. Tomorrow, I was going to bring her to Harry's house early, so she could see his place for a while. I had talked to the both of them about it tonight, and they had agreed, Harry more happily than I had thought he would. I smiled slightly at the thought, which formed into a frown. Emrys.

Who was she exactly? She knew magic, enough to invoke a circle; she was fast, could fight, and was tough as hell. And yet, someone had broke her. And now, it was time to pick up the pieces.


	3. Chapter 3

Getting her out the door and into my car was way easier than I thought it was going to be. But, seeing as it had snowed, getting her to the car was more difficult. She had no shoes, and bare feet and snow is not a pretty combo. I got her down into the lobby just fine, and it was empty at 8:30 in the morning. I saw the snow outside and groaned. Great. She looked at me, and wrote a note on the pocket sized dry erase board I had gotten Harry to buy for her yesterday.

'What is it?'

"I'm not letting you walk across the snow barefoot. It's cold, and painful."

She stared at me, with an expression I could only classify as a 'well duh.'

I crouched down, and had my back to her. "I'll carry you. Don't worry, I'm stronger than I look."

I could feel the stare, feel the fear. After a couple moments, I felt it. She slowly lowered herself onto my back, arms going around my neck, chin on my shoulder, legs around my waist. I stood up, slowly, and she held tighter with her legs, and surprisingly, didn't go anywhere. I didn't even have to hold onto her. I exited the building, and made my way to my car.

I could feel his muscles against my chest, and while it was pleasant, it was also slightly horrifying. Everything came back to me, all the pain, torture, abuse, all of it came back to me when I touched someone. With Thomas, it wasn't so bad, but it was still there. But he had saved me, saved me when I thought I was dead, and had cared for me. I didn't know how to express my gratitude enough. But I felt that it couldn't last. It was almost too good to be true. Still, I felt the need to hold onto him, and keep him close when he was near. I couldn't really describe it, but I could feel his protectiveness, his fear of me being hurt, and his utter trustworthiness. I didn't know what it was about him that made me trust him, but I did. Significantly more than others.

I felt her arms tighten around me slightly, and her breasts press more firmly into my back for a second, and it ended. We reached my car, where I crouched a bit, and she opened the door and slid in. I went around to the drivers side, got in, and started the car. She pulled her blue sweatshirt tighter around her. I had to admit, I thought, as the car warmed up, she looked good in my black sweats and too big hoodie. I smiled, and reached a hand out unconsciously to sweep her hair out of her face. I stopped myself seconds before touching her. Empty night, what was I doing?

She looked at my hand, and back at me, then slowly moved her head so my hand was in her hair. I didn't move for a second, happy beyond all means. She was showing a couple of the first signs of trust, letting me carry her, and letting me touch her hair. She was capable of letting me touch her. I smiled, and gently swiped her hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She looked at me, eyes changing from mostly glassy to something else. The glassy terror was still there, but there was another something, something I couldn't identify. I pulled my hand away, and we drove off.

When we reached Harry's apartment 20 minutes later, she was shaking. I sighed slightly. Here goes.

"Emrys, this is Harry's house. I want you to see his place because I want you to be able to stay here comfortably if you need to, okay? You'll like this."

'Really?'

"Really. I hope you like dogs and cats though..."

She didn't answer. I went around to her door, and she climbed on my back again, though she still hesitated. I carried her down the steps, and knocked on Harry's door. He answered it, pulling it open with some effort, and I walked in with her on my back still. She slid off my back and gained her bearings, taking in Harry's worn but comfortable furniture, the rugs and tapestries, posters, bookshelves, fireplace, and... Mouse. The dog rose up and padded to her sniffing curiously. She moved to in front of the fireplace, and Harry and I watched as she went down on her knees, to offer a hand to Mouse. He sniffed it, and nuzzled his head under her hand and into her chest.

She fondled the dog's fluffy ears and Mouse stayed there, relaxed from her caresses. My eyes grew huge, she was smiling fondly as she hugged the dog, who was grinning happily at finding someone to cuddle with. She looked about, hands never leaving Mouse's shoulder, where she was absently petting his long fur. Mouse laid down, his head on her knees.

She looked around her some more, and looked to me. I came over to her, kneeling down and petting Mouse fondly. "You take care of her, got it?" The dog woofed in reply. I took that as an affirmative.

'Where are you going?' Her note came.

"I need to go to work. Will you stay with Harry for now?" I asked, and she nodded, slowly. I patted her shoulder, and she tugged on my pant leg. I looked down, and read her note.

'Stay safe.' I smiled. "I will."

Harry turned to me. "You'll be back?"

"Of course." I turned to leave.

"Oh, and Harry?" He looked up.

"Don't blow any buildings up while I'm gone, okay?"

"Hey! It's not like I try to do that, Mr. Oh-so-perfect." I chuckled on my way out the door. Emrys looked concerned. She'll be fine.

I looked down at the girl, who was hugging Mouse on the floor in front of the fire. She looked up at me.

"You hungry?" I asked. She nodded vigorously. Mouse perked up at the mention of food. I smiled. "Let's get something to eat." Something to eat turned out to be eggs, bacon, coffee, and toast. She helped me cook, even finding the bacon in the recesses of my icebox. I don't know where that came from. She was warming up to me a bit, I could tell. She wasn't as guarded around me, but she really liked Mouse. We were cooking bacon, and I watched as she snuck him a half cooked piece, eyes slightly gleaming with mischief.

We sat down on the couch, eating quietly. Mouse was curled up by her bare feet, which were tucked underneath his shaggy fur. She finished her food, setting the plate down on the coffee table, and stood, holding her coffee with both hands as she perused my book shelves. I watched. She was a lithe, small thing, about 5' 6". Her body was slim, but she was relatively curvy, and her face was pretty. She had delicate little lady hands too, her slender fingers wrapped around her coffee mug as she looked through my books.

"Emrys?" She turned to me. "What do you say to doing some wizarding with me?" She nodded, slowly, thinking it over.

'I don't have any shoes.' I read it, and smiled.

"Easily fixed."

45 minutes and a shower later, we were headed out the door, Emrys padding along side me, her feet now encased in a sturdy pair of Murphy's hiking boots and socks. She had been surprised when I called her and asked if she could bring a pair of shoes over, but when I had explained, she agreed. Emrys had liked Murphy, and in turn, Murphy had quite liked Emrys, even if I had to talk her out of police investigation on her kidnappers.

We headed to the blue beetle, my coat flapping in the wind, and her holding Mouse's leash, but it wasn't necessary. That dog LOVED her. He walked right beside her, grinning a doggy grin. We got into my car and drove out, heading to essential wizarding supply stores, aka, Mac's and walmart.

I lead her into Mac's, and we had left Mouse in the car. It took some patience for her to willingly walk out of the car and into town, but I managed it. She just stayed right beside me, hood up and constantly looking about. We walked down the stairs and through the door to Mac's, where she looked around, and relaxed subtly. Seemed she liked this place and no one gave her a second glance.

We made our way to the bar, where Mac was waiting, and without a word, heaved a crate of beer to me, which I paid for. Gladly. Emrys stared at the crate, and at me. Mac looked at her, and passed her one of his homemade root beers. She took it, and popped the top open, taking a sip. Her eyes widened in surprise, and I burst out laughing.

"On the house." Mac grunted, and turned toward the stove.

"Thanks Mac." He looked up, and she nodded her thanks. He nodded back. We left, and she came willingly, but still hesitantly. We got back in the car, and drove to walmart. Along the way, she pulled out her dry erase board, and wrote me a note. I glanced at it.

'Are you and Thomas related? You have similar features.' I stared at her in shock. She looked back, and started a bit.

"Hell's bells, how did you know?"

'I guessed. And observed.'

"Well, you're right. Good eyes girly. We'll make a detective of you yet."

'Thank you.' We drove down the road towards Walmart, and pulled into the parking lot 5 minutes later. She helped me find essential supplies that I was low on, and since I had just gotten paid, I could restock them. Chalk, salt, candles, coke, and I grabbed ingredients for pizza at her request.

We came back home, and she helped me carry things in, and put them away. I relit the fire, and said, "I'm going to go into my lab. I'll be down there if you need me. Make yourself at home. Or come on down with me, I don't mind." She nodded, and moved to the fire, kneeling down and petting Mouse, where he was laying on the plush rug.

I came back up about an hour later, and she was sitting there, leaning against Mouse and reading The Hobbit. I smiled at her, and my stomach rumbled. She smiled back, slightly, and got up with me, dog-earing her page.

Together, we made pizza. I have never seen someone make a pizza over a fireplace before, but she did it. And it was the best damn pizza I've ever had. Together, between the two of us, we ate the entire thing.

"Wow. That was damn good."

She smiled, and held up a note.

'It's the fire that does it.'

I nodded, and she helped clean up. After we got the dishes done, she stole a coke from my fridge and back to her book in front of the fire with Mouse. I went back down to my lab.

When I came back up, a couple hours later, I really wished I had a camera. Emrys was laying in front of the fire, curled up into Mouse's side, sound asleep. The dog looked up, woofed softly, curled a bit more around her, and fell back asleep.I checked the time. 7:17. Thomas would be here soon.

Thomas came in a few minutes later, and he froze at the sight of Emrys asleep on Mouse. Then slowly, he pulled put his phone, took a picture of it, and then put it away, moving to her. He touched her shoulder, and I watched from the shadows of the kitchen, where I had been waiting for my water to boil. She woke up, blearily opening an eye, and she started at the sight of Thomas leaning over her.

She sat up, reached for her dry erase board.

'Hey Thomas.'

He smiled again. "Hey. You ready to go?" She nodded, and rose up, ruffling Mouse's ears one last time, and went to put on her shoes. Thomas came over to me.

"How'd she do?" He leaned casually against the doorframe, arms crossed. His hair was back in a ponytail, white sweatshirt unzipped over a dark shirt and jeans.

"Good. Hell's bells Thomas, she figured out that we are related based on looks alone. Does that you less sexy now?" I grinned.

He snorted, grinning. "As if, little brother."

"We went to Mac's and Walmart. She also met Murphy, and they get along fine. She seems to like Mac's." I poured water into my coffee grounds, and let it brew.

I nodded, and Emrys came walking over, her borrowed boots on, and hood up. Thomas absently flicked her hood back and smoothed her hair away from her face. She didn't move away, but rather closer to him. I smiled softly.

'Thanks for letting me stay.' Came her erase board. I nodded.

"Anytime kid. Next time you come I'll tell you about riding a zombie dinosaur." Her eyes grew very round.

Thomas and I laughed, and then Thomas led her out, shutting the door firmly behind him.

"Let's go get some shopping done Emrys." I said, looking down at her, she was walking quietly with me to my car, her brows furrowed in thought. She looked up, and nodded. Then she pulled out her dry erase board.

I paused, crossing my arms, and looked down at her.

'How are you and Harry related?'

"Harry and I have the the same mother. I'm five years older than him.'

'Oh. Can I make dinner tonight?'

It was such a change in subjects that I burst out laughing, throwing my head back. I looked down at her, and she was blushing, but smiling slightly. She was beautiful. I pulled out my phone, and snapped a picture. Perfect. Then I ruffled her hair, while putting the phone away.

"Yeah. You can make dinner. Come on, let's go get you clothes and food for tonight."

She nodded, slowly, and we got to my car, got in, and drove away.

Clothes shopping, for her, was very simple. I told her to pick out things she would wear, and I stood guard around her. She chose the basics in shades of black, grey, and blue. Long sleeved shirts, a couple tanks, two pairs of jeans and one pair of yoga pants, socks, and underwear and sports bras. She blushed when told to get underwear, but went with modest cotton bikinis in black. I nodded at her choices, and when we passed the jewelry sections, I beckoned to her to follow me, and while she admired the necklaces, I selected a pair of silver earrings I had noticed earlier. They were beautiful things, delicately carved with leaves, and a pearl hanging from a plant bud. I made my way back to her, and she looked up, but followed me silently.

I paid for her clothes, using my glamour a bit on the clerk so I could feed a bit and have her not ask questions. We left swiftly afterwards, me sneakily hiding the earrings in my jacket breast pocket. She held up her dry erase board.

'Thank you very much Thomas.'

"You're welcome Emrys. Now, let's get dinner groceries shall we?"

'Yes!' Came her note, with a small smile.

"That's my girl."

At the grocery store, I admired her ability to communicate to me what she wanted without speaking, and watched in awe as she delicately selected what she needed for dinner. After thoroughly raiding the produce section, she made her way to the pasta, then selected fresh ground beef. I have never quite met a woman like her before. She was calm, yet thoroughly guarded and she debated between what products to choose, before choosing one with swift efficiency. We left within 20 minutes, and were heading home, when a truck passed us, and Emrys froze, all the blood draining from her face. I looked over, and in the truck were 2 men, blond, ugly, completely beat up, and staring at her.

I shifted into a higher gear, and took off, going about 120. Emrys didn't move, shaking with fear. The truck followed, desperately trying to keep up.

"Hang on. I'll lose 'em." She didn't reply.

I made a turn down an exit and the truck followed after a few moments, which was when I pulled a u-ie, and they smashed into a guardrail, destroying their truck. We peeled out of there, and no one followed. We pulled into the parking lot, and Emrys looked up at me finally, her hood pulled over her face, dark blue of the fabric complementing her eyes nicely.

"Hey, you alright?" I asked, flicking her hood back and smoothing her hair away from her face. She nodded slowly, turning her head away. I furrowed my brows, but we got out of the car, each of us carrying a couple bags. We made it into the elevator, and through the hallway to the apartment without incident. She had taken off her shoes, set her bags down on the counter, when her shoulders began to shake. I set mine down too, and without thinking about it, pulled her into a hug. She froze, shoulders still shaking, but slowly settled her face into my chest, gripping my black t-shirt with her delicate hands. Her tears came, slowly coursing their way down her face, but she made no sound, just her shoulders shook.

I pulled her ever closer, rubbing her back through the thick fabric of her blue hoodie. She leaned into me further, and I just held her close, letting her calm down and marveling at her trust in me. Then she pulled away, her hands coming up rub her eyes. I moved to my jacket, and pulled the earrings out of my pocket, from the hook where I had hung it up. Her brows rose, and she blushed upon seeing them, but didn't move.

My hunger roiled at the sight of her blushing, but I forced it aside. I moved back to her, and she took the proffered earrings, admiring them, her eyes gleaming slightly.

"These are for you."

'Thomas... I don't know what to say.'

"It's alright. Here."

'Thank you.'

I slipped them into her ears, fastening the backings, and she happily played with them a bit. I had to admit, they looked amazing on her. They added a bit of contrast to her beautiful eyes, and I grinned slightly, desperately controlling my roiling hunger. She tilted her head again, and held up a note.

'You do realize your hunger can't effect me, right?'

Alright.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Oh my Gawd this took forevah! Enjoy!

"What?" I asked, quite stupidly, like Harry.

'Your hunger, whether you restrain it or not, always has some effect on people right?' Her eyes were calm, and her earrings glittered. I hung my head, but nodded. I looked up in surprise when she touched my forehead, two fingers delicately against my skin. I felt no pull from her, but a transference of sorts, like she had deliberately given me the energy I needed to live. I straightened up, moving so fast she blinked in surprise.

"What did you do?" My hunger had settled to the point where I almost couldn't feel it there. I felt full, for once, and alive.

'I fed you. That's the easy way to put it. I gave you raw energy. Just a little, but it's enough.'

It confirmed my suspicions. I knew there was no way she was entirely just a human. But the fact that she admitted it, and openly used her gifts with me had confirmed it. I had about a thousand questions rolling through my mind, but instead of asking them, I did the thing I wanted to do most.

I hugged her. She stiffened, but didn't move away. Then slowly, hugged me back, fingers clutching my shirt behind my shoulders.

"Thank you." I whispered. She nodded into my chest. She felt so good against me, but then, her stomach rumbled, and she awkwardly pulled away, moving to the kitchen for the groceries. I stood there for a second, but followed her afterwards.

Together, we made dinner. She instructed me, silently, to prepare vegetables, while she tended to the sauce she was preparing. She's a good cook, I'll admit it. She had this way about her, being able to communicate with gestures, her grace, her skill and general knowledge of things. Within 20 minutes or so, she had the noodles cooked, sauce prepared, and I was just finishing arranging the vegetables on a platter like she had instructed me. She dished me up a plate, and herself one, and tossed me a beer from the fridge. We settled down to eat, perched on my bar stools. I looked to her, she was munching on a bell pepper, and was watching me.

'You're curious about me.' Came her note. It was a statement, not a question. I nodded. 'You can ask. I'll tell you what I can.'

"How did you know I was a white court vampire?"I asked, munching on an apple piece. She smiled, and faced me.

'White courts have this aura to them. Restraint in your case, you just don't want to harm anyone. Not to mention the undeniable sex appeal.' I frowned a bit at that. 'And the eyes.' She added.

I looked sadly at her. 'It must be lonely. Knowing that most people would run away if they knew what you are. I understand.' I furrowed my brows at her.

"How?"

'I'm not sure. I've been different all my life, but when that happened, I lost almost all my memories. It's painful. But I was like you, I remember that. I wasn't a vampire, but I knew if I didn't keep it hidden, people would run screaming. Or try to kill me.'

I frowned. I don't know what she was referencing when she said that, but it was something dreadful, I was sure. We finished eating in silence. The vegetable and fruit platter between us as we sat in silence together.

"How did you know you could feed me like that?" I asked, suddenly, and she jumped a bit, taken by surprise. I smiled softly, and she began writing. I watched, her hair hung in her face, and she batted it to the side, irritatedly. I made a mental note to take her to my salon one day when she wasn't always so terrified. Even now she still was tense, and warily looked around her. She finished the note, and passed it to me, and began munching on another piece of bell pepper as she cleared dishes.

'It's one of the simplest forms of magic. Calling up your will and shaping it to what you want it to do. In my case, I wanted it to feed you. So it did.' I looked up at her, she was calmly rinsing dishes, her back to me. She was still wearing my sweatshirt, and my pants too, though they were way too big on her, somehow she had gotten them to fit.

"Did you use magic on my pants?" I asked, voice incredulous and playfully accusing. She jumped, and I saw it. Her ears turned red. Cute.

Several hours later~~~~~

Emrys was sleeping next to me, curled up into my side on the couch. Her head was resting on my chest, her feet tucked underneath her. I had my arm around her, and was relaxed back, feet kicked up on the coffee table. I felt no desire to feed, at all, which was new and very much so awesome for me. However, I did want to sleep. I sighed, and shook Emrys gently, trying to get her to wake up. She did, instantly, eyes opening blearily.

"Hey... I need to get to sleep." She obviously wasn't awake yet, because she just latched her arms around my chest and didn't let go, even when I tried to pull her off. I rolled my eyes, and shook her again. "Wanna stay with me then?" She nodded slightly, and shifted so I could scoop her up. I did, and carried her to my room, depositing her on the bed. She crawled under the covers, and I did too, after changing into my pajama bottoms.

I laid on my side, and she was as well, facing me. Just as I was drifting off, listening to her steady breathing, she shifted a bit, her nose brushing my chest. I loosely tucked my arm around her, and sighed, before drifting off.

When I woke, I was warm. And comfortable. I couldn't remember the last time I had felt so completely unwilling to wake up. I cracked open an eye, and then they flew open at the sight presented to me. I was laying on my side, and Emrys was curled into me, her head tucked into the crook of my neck. Her soft hair was draped across my shoulder and arm, which was tucked behind her, the other thrown over her hips, forming a cage about her slim form. Her hands were tucked up, over her breasts, and she was awake. Blearily she glanced up at me, before closing her eyes and going back to sleep. Ah, what the hell. It was only 6:30. I fell back asleep as well.

I woke to the blaring scream of my alarm and Emrys falling out of bed with a surprised grunt. I laughed, and turned the alarm off. She was sitting on the floor, rubbing her head and knees tucked up and splayed out, giving her a very feminine appeal. I slid out of bed and was pulling a shirt on right when she sprang back up and moved out the door. When I made it out to the kitchen, she was making coffee and toast. I sat down and she pushed a plate across the table to me, along with a cup of coffee.

"You, my lady, are hired." I said, toasting to her with my mug. She blushed, but smiled, pleased.

30 minutes and some work later, I was out the door, Emrys walking beside me to my car. She slid in upon reaching it, and I went around to the drivers side. After starting the car, I reached over and flicked her hood back, as she was still wearing the blue hoodie. She smiled softly at me, her hair hanging crazily around her face and earrings glittering.

"Let's go see Harry." We walked into Harry's apartment a few minutes later, and to my surprise, he was still sleeping. I shrugged, and she looked up at me.

"Will you do okay here?"

'Yes. I'll be fine. I'll just be with Mouse.' Came her note. The big dog was already cuddling up to her, and her free hand was fondling his ears. She set the dry erase board down, and knelt, hugging the giant dog. Mouse looked up at me, and nodded once at my take-care-of-her-look. I ruffled Emrys's hair once and left, promising to be back soon.

Emrys curled up on the plush rugs in front of the fireplace and then, using Mouse as a pillow and heat source, went back to sleep. She woke up a few hours later when Harry jerked awake and stumbled into the main room when someone banged on the door. She pretended not to wake, but was alert and ready to move, if necessary. Harry, a hand on his staff and already tense, pulled open the door. A tremendous force threw him backward, and he tumbled over the sofa in his fall.

Emrys sprang up and went over to look out the door, ignoring Harry's cursing and groaning. Standing there, still trying to figure out how to dismantle the wards, was a whole horde of Black Court Vampires. 'Well shit.' She thought. 'What now?' She noticed the sword cane with Harry's other canes and staff by the door, and she crept forward, remaining out of sight, and grabbed it. It's hefty weight in her palm reassured her, and she slightly loosened the blade, checking the sharpness. It was beautifully sharpened and glistening cold, blue steel winked up at her.

Harry watched, utterly entranced at the new side of this shy, hesitant woman. She was standing straight, hair hanging in straight strands down her back and around her face, her hands expertly holding the sword before her. She was clearly experienced and a complete natural with a sword. He moved to her, and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Ready?" He asked, quietly. She nodded once, sharply. She completely unsheathed the sword and stood with it pointed at the ground, but she was ready. He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, muttering about how he was too old for this, and readied his staff. Mouse came over and stood ready by Emrys. She looked down and then waited for Harry's signal. He gave it in the usual Harry fashion. Charging in and blowing shit up. In this case, a horde of vampires. Great. Dodging the muck and miscellaneous charred, flying, body parts, including someone's head -ewww- she ran into the horde as well.

Harry couldn't help but watch out of the corner of his eye. This girl was the definition of graceful. She moved quickly and silently, and had a guard of concrete. He watched as she started slaying vampires left and right, her sword a flicker of cold, blue, steel. Now streaked with Black Court grossness. Great. She landed a heel into a vampire's face, then beheaded it, ignoring its scream of agony at the holy steel: courtesy of Father Forthill. He charged forward, and began blowing the damn things to bits, using his handy dandy blasting rod and a cry of "Fuego!"

Within minutes, the vampires were completely killed off, and Mouse was standing there triumphantly, a vamps ear between his teeth. Emrys grimaced, but got him to let it go, and then turned to the apartment.

"Well. That's one way to start the day." I said, sighing and laughing slightly, running a hand through my, now gross, hair. She shot me a look that said, 'No shit Sherlock.' Before she moved. I felt a enormous weight fling itself on top of me, and the sound of a sword slicing through another thing, and a scream. A piercing, inhuman, scream. I remember being dizzy, my head throbbing, and then passing out.

I came to slowly, not really wanting to leave the peaceful grasp of unconsciousness, but I came around. And holy shit, my head was throbbing. I groaned and rolled over, only to roll into something. It felt like a person. I cracked open an eye to see Emrys's smirking face and her hand holding the bottle of ibuprofen. I sat up, took the bottle of proffered Ibuprofen, and downed four of the little red pills.

"You are a goddess. What happened?" I took the glass of water she held out and while I drank, she knelt next to me, and looked at me for a second, before raising her hands and indicating she was going to touch. I let her, scooting toward her a bit, and kept an eye on her. She slowly reached up and wove her hands through my, now clean, hair, feeling for any head wounds, bruises, or bumps. I winced when they brushed the back of my head. She nodded, and wrote something on her dry erase board, holding it up to me.

'Just a bump. No concussion.' She looked searchingly at me.

"Good. What happened?"

She wrote for a while, her brow furrowed in concentration. She held it up a few minutes later.

'Red court vamp was behind you, and was definitely looking to kill. I tackled you and then killed it.'

I nodded, and thought for a while. After about 5 minutes, my stomach growled. She smirked at me and stood, hair swishing, and, I noticed, earrings sparkling. Together, we made breakfast, consisting of Cheerios, coke, and leftover steak sandwich from MacAnally's last night. After munching in front of the fire, I remembered that I should tell Thomas about the vampire problem. I picked up the phone and called him, no answer. Well, hell. Alright. Let's do this the hard way.

"Emrys? Wanna help me with something?" She looked up from where she had been staring into the fire, leaning against Mouse. She raised a brow at me. "I need you to relay something to Thomas while he's working. I think you can do it better than I can." She nodded, and stood up.

'Can we take Mouse too?' Came her note. I nodded, smiling. "Sure. Why not?"

20 minutes later~~~~

He parked in the back of Thomas's building, and made sure she had the note he'd had her write for him while we drove. She folded it up, and tucked it, using a bobby pin, in the back of her hair. She then got out of his car, gave him a thumbs up and made her way through the back door of Thomas's salon.

I was on my break in the staff room, by myself for once, when I heard the back door open. I made my way down the hall to the storage room, and looked about. Then I sensed her, and relaxed slightly. What was she doing here? I walked to the center of the room and said softly, "Emrys. I know you're here. Come out now." She stepped slowly out, not five feet from me. I smiled and she reached back into her hair, unpinning something in it. She handed me a note, and I took it, reading the neat writing.

I looked up and eyed her. "You alright?" She nodded, and held up her dry erase board. 'Harry's waiting. Do you want me to stay?'

"Yeah. I'll go let him know. You stay here." I left through the back door, and she hid again. When I came back in after letting Harry know where she was gonna be, she was gone. I sensed her though, and I motioned for her to follow me. She did, hesitantly, and I led her through to the staff room. I made my way to my jacket and fished out my wallet, handing her 20 dollars. "You've seen that bookstore just down a couple buildings from here?"

Her eyes lit up with the prospect of what I was suggesting. I smiled, and ruffled her hair. "Got get a book girly. Find someplace to hole up here and read when you get back. I'll come find you. Don't scare anyone." She took the offered bill and gave me a quick hug and a smile before taking off out the back door. I sighed, and went back to work. There. Problem solved.

I made my way into the small bookstore, flipping my hood back and smiling at the elderly woman who greeted me cheerily with, "Welcome Miss!" I surveyed the layout and just had to smile again. It looked like a slice of heaven. There were narrow, crooked walk spaces, a few old, thick, wooden bookshelves, and the whole place smelled of paper and incense. But most of all, the walk spaces weaved themselves around mountains and piles of thick, old books. The elderly woman, whose name tag clearly read Millie, smiled and chuckled a bit at my clear pleasure.

"Take your time." I did so. I around each pile of books, and ran my fingers over the cracked leather bindings, and the pages of the newer paperbacks. An hour later, I settled on two books. 'The Martian' by Andy Weir, and the classic, 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen. I walked back to the hair salon after paying for the books and introducing myself as Emrys, with the dry erase board. Millie completely understood when I explained that I'm mute, and even slipped me a tip about a wonderful coffee and donut shop next to the small mall strip where her shop was located. I smiled thankfully and left, clutching my purchases to my chest, deciding to wait on the coffee shop until next time.

I returned to the hair salon via the back door, and Thomas came to find me a few moments later. "Emrys? Would you be willing to meet someone? I told her about you, and I just want you to know her, so you can come through the front door and chill out next to my station. There's an armchair there." I looked down, and pulled out my dry erase board.

'Sure. Why not?' came her note. I sighed in relief, and walked her out into the almost empty salon. A woman was standing at the receptionist desk and she gasped when she saw me walking out with Thomas. She walked forward and came slowly. She wore a black pencil skirt and pumps, with a lavender dress shirt. Her hair was immaculately styled, and a shade of red only achieved with dye. Her face was pretty, in a conventional, I-wear-makeup kind of way.

Thomas walked forward a bit. "Emrys, this is Martha. My receptionist. I wanted her to meet you so you can walk in at any time you want, and she'll know who you are." I shook Martha's offered hand, and let her look me over. Her green eyes taking in my disheveled hair, blue hoodie, and yoga pants. My boots were on, and I cradled two books to my chest. I noticed that her eyes lingered on my face and earrings for a moment longer than normal.

"You're gorgeous." She said, smiling. "Welcome."


	5. Chapter 5

Thomas and OC chapter 5

There was snow on the ground now, and if was well into December. Emrys was happy and relaxed at all the holiday festivities, admiring the shining garlands and the beautiful lights everywhere. And the snow. Oh dear lord, the snow. The girl could cream you with a snowball, no matter how fast you tried to dodge. She'd get you, as Harry and I discovered when we challenged her to a snowball fight.

I was comfortably standing at my station, finishing a last few touches on my clients hair trim. Emrys was curled up in the armchair by my station, her long hair loose and her clothes warm, thick, and comfortable. Her shoes were on the floor and her wool socked feet were tucked up. She marked her page, and tucked the book into the small pack she had taken to wearing. She stood, slipping her shoes on, and held up her dry erase board.

'I'm gonna go get a new book.'

"Alright. Be safe."

She nodded, and walked through the front door, smiling softly at Martha. Martha waved to her smiling back, and watched as Emrys walked out into the thick, swirling snowflakes. She flicked her hood up as she did so, snow already catching in her hair, and she walked off. I sighed, and my client looked at me with a knowing glance. I shrugged back at her.

I walked through the snow, my sturdy hiking boots keeping my feet warm. I was wearing a cozy long sleeve shirt under my thick hoodie I had borrowed from Thomas, and I was toasty and warm. I walked into the familiar atmosphere of Millie's book shop and smiled back at the warm greeting and the smell of Christmas in the air. I searched the stacks of books, and then Millie called me over, from where she was going through a new shipment of books that had just come in.

"Your book you requested is in here somewhere..." She said, setting new books aside as she unpacked them. I came over, eagerly helping her to unpack, and stacked aside new books. I eventually found the one I had requested, and held it up, admiring the cover. 'The Name of the Star' by Maureen Johnson. It looked fabulous, and I tucked it in my bag, knowing that Millie knew I wouldn't steal it. Millie caught my longing gaze at all the other books, and smiled.

"Why don't you start a part time job with me? Just come in when you can and help me unpack and restock books. I'm getting old, and I need someone young to help me."

I gave it some thought, and then nodded. She smiled happily, and began to layout the book stacks, by genre. I followed her instructions, and soon I was happily stacking books. 20 minutes later, when I was placing some teen fiction novels on a wooden shelf, my phone beeped, indicating a text message. Thomas had purchased the slim purple device about a week ago, telling me to use it to communicate with him when I wasn't there with him. It even had a small metal Vash the Stampede keychain hanging from it, due to my love of Trigun.

I fished the phone out of my pocket with one hand, and stacked the next book with the other, balancing the rest on top of my head. Millie noticed and began to laugh. I flipped the phone open and read the text.

"Did you get lost?"

'No. I'm working for Millie in the bookshop. Just unpacking and stacking books. I'll be back soon.'

"Okay. Have fun. :)"

':D'

I flipped the phone shut, tucked it away, and finished the book stacking. I then went and purchased my book, and Millie gave me a homemade molasses cookie. I thanked her silently, and tucked my book away. I left, eating the small cookie, which was really tasty, and finally decided to try the coffee shop she had mentioned about earlier.

I pushed open the door, and started in surprise, earning a deep chuckle from the friendly man behind the counter. It was bigger than I was expecting about the size of the average cafe. The place was warm, painted in homey colors, with plush couches and comfy armchairs. It smelled like cookies, Christmas, coffee, and chocolate. The man who was watching me, along with the one other customer, were both friendly. But the man behind the counter caught my attention.

He was tall, huge, and friendly. His name tag read Ben, and his dark curly hair was covered with a black ball cap. He wore a white dress shirt and black pants, an apron tied around his waist. He was smiling, and his dark skin creased in smile lines around his eyes. This man was in his forties, and was clearly loved by everyone who knew him.

"Hey honey! You the little thing Millie told me about?" His voice was straight from Kentucky, complete with the country tang. He said thing like 'thang.' He was smiling as if he knew the answer.

I nodded shyly, stepping up to the counter, deciding immediately that I liked this man. He smiled back. "What's your name, girly?"

I held up my answer. 'Emrys.'

"I'm Ben, as you can see. You want somethin' warm to take with ya honey?"

I nodded. 'Cappuccino and two of those Ginger snaps please.'

He nodded, eyes smiling. "Be right out for ya. Have a seat."

I turned after paying for my drink and sat on one of the plush armchairs, pulling out my phone when it beeped. It was a picture of Thomas who was frowning at the weather showing in the window behind him.

"Be careful please."

'I will.' I replied, smiling fondly. I tucked the phone away, and Ben came over, carrying a paper to-go cup and a brown paper bag.

"Here ya go honey, cookies are fresh and hot. Enjoy." I took them eagerly from him, with a thank you smile. He patted my head, and went back to the counter. I tucked the cookies into my pack, on top of my book, and flicked my hood up. I held my drink with both hands, waved to Ben, and disappeared back out into the snow.

I entered Thomas's shop a few minutes later, where I flicked my hood back and shook the snow out of my hair. Martha smiled and asked, "How's visibility?" I gave her a thumbs down and she grimaced. "Hope it lightens up." I nodded. I made my way back to Thomas, who was sitting in his chair and eyeing the coffee cup I carried in my hands. I pulled off my pack, and handed him the cup. He smiled and took a sip, watching me. His eyes widened at the taste and I smiled at him.

'Amazing, right?'

"Yeah. Where did you get it?" He took another sip. I opened my pack and took out the cookie bag.

'The coffee shop just down the street.' I plopped down in his lap after taking my shoes off, and he just looped an arm around my waist and held me close, passing me the cup. I balanced the cookies on my thigh and took an appreciative sip of the Cappuccino. Thomas opened the bag and gasped in surprise.

"Ginger snaps too? Score!" He took one eagerly and took a bite, sighing in happiness. "You're awesome."

'Thanks.' I smiled and took my cookie, taking a bite. Okay, someone name Ben as a baking King. Seriously. Oh my god, that was a godly cookie. I savored each and every bite. Together, we ate the cookies and drank the cappuccino, and no customers came in. Thomas was studying my hair, and I just watched him. He combed his fingers through it, inspected the ends, and studied my face. I sipped the last of the ambrosia coffee.

"Will you let me cut this?" Thomas asked. I looked at him.

"Just a trim. I'll wash it, part it correctly and trim it for you. Maybe fix these bangs and your layers you've got around your face. Deal?"

I nod and hesitantly stand, then pull off my hoodie and set it and my pack aside on the armchair where I normally am. Thomas leads me back to the sink, and I can feel Martha watching, eyes interested. He guides me down, and washes my hair with a mint scented shampoo, his finger tips massaging my scalp. I sigh, and relax, allowing the caresses. He follows with a soothing conditioner. He towels my hair somewhat dry, and leads me over to his station, where he begins the task of combing my hair out.

I let him, enjoying the pleasant pull of the comb in my hair. He smiled at my expression, and continued his work. My hair was soon combed entirely out, hanging long and straight, it easily was down to my hips, the ends just passing the hem of my gray long sleeve shirt I was wearing. Thomas whistled, and flicked out a cape, wrapping it around my shoulders. He then began the process of trimming the ragged ends. Martha came over and asked, "Can we do a photo shoot? She's beautiful."

Thomas looked to me. I looked to him. "The photos will go to you." She assured me.

'Sure. If Thomas is there.'

"Of course." She said, smiling. "I'll go prepare." She ran off.

Thomas finished the trim and began the process of straightening out my bangs, adding some new layers, and fixing my part. In no time he was blow drying it out, the black lengths looking much healthier. My back still faced the mirror. He pulled the sheet covering me off.

"Ready?" He asked, preparing to turn me around. I nodded. I was turned to the mirror, and I gasped. Was that me? The creature looking back at me was a beautiful, pale, blue eyed female. Her hair was gorgeous, long lengths of inky black swirling about her waist, bangs swished partly over one eye, slightly shorter lengths down her front, framing her face loosely. Earrings, silver ones, glittered in her ears. Wow. Thomas had transformed me from Raggedy Ann into a model. Martha came back over and screeched to a halt, hand over her mouth.

"Oh wow. Honey... That's amazing!" Thomas was smiling hugely, watching me. I raised my hands, and the person in the mirror did too. I ran my hands through the silky ravens wing hair and I smiled. I felt beautiful again, like I had before that had happened. Thomas helped me down from the chair. I hugged him, and he smiled, hugging me gently back.

"It's all set up." Said Martha, smiling at the scene. "Have fun! I have to run!" She ran over, grabbed her purse, and began to pull on her coat. Thomas nodded, and walked me back to a smaller studio, where there was a white back drop and a whole bunch of camera equipment set up. I pulled my boots off and set them aside, and walked to the center of the white paper, and faced the camera.

Thomas stood there, watching me. "Do what you feel beautiful doing. Be natural."

I stared at him for a second, and then slowly shifted, looking down at my feet, my hair covered my eye, and I flicked it back. Thomas was snapping photos. I looked to my left, hips shifting to the right. He watched me, and I slowly looked up, pondered it, and twirled. My hair spun out around me, and then I paused facing the camera. Thomas was smiling, and taking photo still. I flipped my hair around, and then slid my hands into the lengths, and looked up, eyes closed. Thomas backed away from the camera and looked at me.

"Do another twirl for me?" He was smiling at me in his devilish way.

I nod, and begin twirling. He watches. And the power goes out. Everything goes black.


End file.
